The Vampire Wore Orange
by Ryoko no Shinigami
Summary: Heero Yuy is a private eye who lives his life based on routine. But when an unknown business contact shows up in a bar, Heero struggles to hold to the stereotypes he had once accepted for vampires, and himself.


Title: The Vampire Wore Orange  
  
Author: Ryoko no Shinigami  
  
Pairings: Aww. telling this early in the game would be no fun, now would it? Besides, do I ever write anything non-1x2?  
  
Warnings: .There'll be something offensive in this, I promise, never fear. Just. nothing in this chapter, okay? ::ducks::  
  
Disclaimer: One day, it will come to light that I really am the sole owner of all rights and properties attributed to Gundam Wing. At that time, you can anticipate my much-planned sequel to Endless Waltz, 'Duo and Heero Get it On' (working title.) Until then, you and I will have to content ourselves with this.  
  
***  
  
It was official, Heero Yuy decided. He definitely hated clubs. That was all clubs, with no exceptions whatsoever. Well, with one slight exception. This club. This club he detested with an unreasoning passion that was powerful almost beyond the telling of it.  
  
On a Saturday night just before three A.M., Walker Red's was throbbing, the bass line loud and gentle and close as your own heartbeat, which leapt and stuttered in your chest in a vain attempt to keep up. The lights were disorienting and dreamlike and spun your head. The alcohol had been flowing freely for around seven hours now, and the patrons were happy and carefree because of it, especially when mixed with the other substances they were abusing. Since Heero had been here, he had seen two people drop after swallowing a handful of the little tablets that everyone seemed to be passing around. The paramedics had shown up and carted them away. The police should have followed soon after, but they must be getting nice kickbacks from the club managers, because they hadn't shown up yet. That was two hours ago.  
  
Heero's contact was almost two hours late. He had specifically said to be here at one. Well, okay, 'said' in the two-line coded note Heero had found slipped under his office door one morning last week. He still wasn't sure he had accurately cracked the code. But, hell, he found the street, he found the club, he'd even found the table, just as they'd been mentioned in the note. Now where was that damned contact?  
  
He knew there was someone coming up behind him from the change in air currents, hard to distinguish though they were with the music pulsing through the two-story building. He turned around, took in the orange shirt, tight pants, and jewelry, and immediately dismissed this person from his thoughts, turning back to the bottle he had been nursing all night. Without looking up, he felt the person walk around the table, pull out the other chair, and sit down. Heero found himself mildly annoyed.  
  
"That seat is reserved."  
  
"Yeah, I know. For me."  
  
Heero's head jerked up. His eyes took in the mesh shirt, orange. The outrageously long braid of hair, as much blond as it was brown. The expressive mouth that looked like it never went five minutes without laughing, and the sparkly blue eyes. And dangling from one earlobe, a miniscule carved black cross.  
  
He had assumed his contact would be a vampire, but now he knew that couldn't be the case. The cross, for one thing. He knew as well as anybody that they didn't do anything to the bloodsuckers, but it was still considered a faux pas to be sporting one, and in such a ludicrous fashion, no less. And no vampire he ever knew would be caught dead with honey- colored hair like that, especially in this day of reasonably priced hair dye. And the color. Most vampires rarely wore anything other then black, and definitely not. orange.  
  
The man reached his arm across the table, and picked up one of Heero's unresisting hands in a firm grip.  
  
"Hello, Mr. Yuy. I'm Duo Maxwell, at your service."  
  
Heero scrambled to collect his thoughts. "You're the one. The one who contacted me?"  
  
Duo merely arched an eyebrow in reply.  
  
"You look. different then I thought you would."  
  
"What do you mean? The face? It's the hair, isn't it, they always pick up on the hair first, it's gotten me into trouble more times, I can tell you."  
  
Heero suspected he might be in a mild state of shock. The one thing you could say in favor of vampires. most vampires, that is. was that they were a taciturn, solid group. That was why he liked them (well, not liked them, per se, but at least felt he understood them). They were like him. He knew about tacit people, because he was one of them, and he knew how they thought and lived and acted. Who was this person, this being of laughter and light, meeting him in a place like this, under the guise of knowing something about his assignment? And why was he talking so incessantly? It had to be stopped before Heero's head exploded.  
  
"So. Mr. Maxwell. From your note, I assume that you have some information you feel might be important to me?" That's good, Yuy, keep it noncommittal, maybe you can get him on the subject.  
  
It was not to be. Duo smiled while he gestured at a waiter.  
  
"C'mon, Heero, you don't want to get down to business so soon. I've been watching you, and you've been sitting there like you've got a stick up your ass all night. Have a drink." He turned to the waiter. "I'll have a strawberry margarita, on the rocks, no salt, and could I have an extra slice of lime, please?" [1]  
  
Heero's head was spinning, and he wondered that the waiter could keep track of the stream of (to him) meaningless directions. If asked about his favorite drink, Heero would state that he liked beer. In some remote corner of his mind, he was aware that this came in two varieties, domestic and imported. This encompassed his entire knowledge of the alcoholic world. He suddenly became aware that both the waiter and Duo were looking at him, and he was expected to order something.  
  
"I'll have another beer," he muttered.  
  
"He'll have the same as I'm having," Duo corrected, and the waiter grunted and walked away. They didn't talk again until he returned, and Heero took a cautious sip of the faintly pink liquid he was presented with. He had to admit that it was rather nice.  
  
"So," Duo broke the silence, "how many of these is it going to take before you loosen up?"  
  
Heero considered. He wasn't sure, but he suspected loosening up had something to do with girls, and alcohol, and perhaps some of those pills he had seen being passed around earlier. "This is good," he said by way of answer, taking another sip. He felt it loosening his muscles, which were cramped from sitting so long. He looked across the table at Duo, who was watching the people on the first-story dance floor. He decided to make a half-hearted attempt and conversation, that might lend him some clues as to the species of this strange person.  
  
"You know, most vampires prefer bars or dark alleyways to places like this."  
  
Duo grimaced. "I can't stand bars. The smoke's bad for your health, y'know? And as for alleyways, they have no." he waved his hand with an airy gesture. ".ambiance. They have no ambiance."  
  
To his credit, and with an extreme effort of will, Heero did not blink. The vampire wore orange. He was aware of the health risks involved with second-hand smoke. And he was concerned with ambiance. Heero knew he was in over his head. Duo finished off his drink, and gestured to the waiter for another round, then sat examining his hands where they lay crossed on the scarred table surface.  
  
"So," Duo gazed up at Heero through his lashes. "You official or what?"  
  
"You mean am I a cop?" Heero shrugged. "I figure I'll tell you on a need- to-know basis."  
  
Suddenly, Duo was half-across the table, the end of Heero's tie held in a surprisingly strong fist. Heero didn't even have time to blink his astonishment.  
  
"Listen, pal," Duo ground out through clenched teeth, giving Heero a view of his incisors, and banishing all doubts as to his species. "The way I've got you figured, you're either police or hunter, and either way that means I'm probably supposed to kill you." Then suddenly that hundred-watt smile was back, bright as ever, and he leaned back in his chair. "Lucky for you, I've never cared shit for beans about what I'm supposed to do. You can't be official anyway, they blend in with this crowd better. So, what did you want to know? Word is you're looking for information on somebody."  
  
Heero found himself wanting to put a stake through this guy, a sudden clarification of a feeling he'd been having all evening. Which was interesting, as he had only been convinced that this guy was a vampire at all less then three seconds ago. But hell, he'd just gotten this guy on the topic, it'd be a shame to kill him now, especially since his pants probably had creases in them from sitting here all night, and he might as well get some information for his pains. He leaned forward across the table.  
  
"I'm looking for a guy, name of Winner. You know him?"  
  
Duo looked surprised. "Yeah, I know him. What'dyou want with Cat?"  
  
Heero blinked, tried to figure out what cats had to do with their conversation, then plowed doggedly on.  
  
"Rumor is, he's on top of a huge crime wave that's been hitting the East side of town the last couple months. I'm trying to find him."  
  
Duo raised an eyebrow. "Kill him?"  
  
"Maybe," Heero shrugged. "Or run him out of town. My client's not to particular either way.  
  
Duo leaned back in his chair, and tossed off his second drink. "Well, I know Winner, and I can give you help finding him if you want it. But I've got another bit of information for you that's worth ten times that, and I'll give it to you for free." He leveled a serious gaze at Heero from his blue-purple eyes. "If you want the guy in charge of the shit that's been going down recently, you don't want Winner, coz it isn't him. But he's a vampire, and you've got your sights on him, so I don't expect you to take my advice. I'll still help you find him, if you want it."  
  
Heero digested this information. A lot of questions were floating around in his head, and he snagged what seemed to be the most important one. "How do you know he's not the one?"  
  
Duo shrugged. "I know."  
  
"You're suggesting we work together?"  
  
"Nothing so formal," Duo smiled. "I'm just saying I'll help you find Winner, that's all."  
  
"And how do I know I don't get your teeth in my neck as soon as my back's turned?"  
  
"I promise I won't eat you. And one thing you'll learn about me, Yuy, is that I never tell a lie." Looking at Heero's skeptical face, he contrived to look innocent. "Still don't trust me?"  
  
"You are a vampire," Heero stated. It was all the explanation needed.  
  
"Touché. Well, pal, I can tell you, you're in no danger from me. I haven't touched a human being for years now. I'm a teetotaler. On the pledge, you know?"  
  
Heero had heard of such things, but had never met a vampire to willingly give up blood. Then, he'd never met a vampire anything at all like Duo Maxwell.  
  
"Why?"  
  
Duo shrugged. "Common sense, basically. Hanging around clubs like this all the time, with all these young, sweaty people around, basically begging to be taken, the temptation to nab a few of them was unreal. It would've only been a matter of time before I was nabbed. But when you're hungry all the time, the added urge to snack on someone doesn't seem so intense. I'm down to two pints a day, pig's blood."  
  
Heero considered how this information affected him, decided it made him nauseous, and tossed back the last of his margarita. It was a reason, all right, and made trusting this guy that much easier, especially when coupled with his claim to never lie. But few people new better than Heero Yuy how great was the gap between not lying and telling the truth. It was an explanation, yes, but was it the only explanation?  
  
"Just one more thing I can't figure," Heero said. "How did you know I was your contact? Man sitting at a table in a club. I could have been anyone. How did you know you weren't just spilling your secrets to some drunk?"  
  
Duo grinned. "Well, for one thing, I've been watching you from that corner over there for the last hour and a half. You've been sitting straight as a pole for all that time. Hell, you're probably the only person in the place who hasn't dropped something synthetic all night."  
  
Heero frowned. It still seemed too risky. "How did you know some other guy wouldn't take your table?"  
  
Duo's grin grew impossibly wider, and he winked across the table at Heero. "That's just it, my friend. It's my table, and everyone here knows it. My table, and my club, and my building. Welcome to Walker Red's, Mr. Yuy, owned and operated by Duo Maxwell, head of Maxwell Corporations Limited. Which, by the way," he winked, "gives me an economic as well as a sensible reason for going off blood. Can't go drinking my customers, can I? I'd be eating myself out of house and home, so to speak."  
  
This time Heero did blink. "Oh." was all he could find to say.  
  
"Tell you the truth," Duo leaned forward conspiratorially across the table, "most of the guys in here probably figured when I came up that I was gonna pound you. They know I don't like people taking my reserved seating."  
  
"You could still pound me, to keep up your reputation," Heero quipped, before thinking, My God, did I just say that? He began crunching a piece of ice from his glass to cover his momentary confusion. It was time to change the subject.  
  
"So, is this the only thing you own?"  
  
Duo threw back his head and laughed, loud and long. "Only?" he asked, wiping his eyes. "Don't sound so jealous, Heero. It speaks of low breeding."  
  
It was only when Heero was back out on the pavement, appointment made for their next meeting, that he realized that Duo never did answer his question.  
  
***  
  
[1] I hope I got this right. My knowledge of alcohol is about as advanced as Heero's. or significantly less so, since I don't drink. But I seem to vaguely remember my mother ordering something like this, and anyway it sounds nice.  
  
Hehe! Chapter 1 of yet another attempted multipart from me! Though I'm trying to keep on a schedule with this one, so maybe it'll actually get finished sometime.  
  
I'm currently looking for an alternative archive for this and all my other stories. With the slew of new restrictions on writing being enforced by FF.N, I no longer feel I can support them in good conscience. ::shrug:: I mean, none of my stories was affected, but how can I support a website that is steadily becoming more and more constrictive to the writing of other people? So, if you have an archival website, and you would like to host this or the slew of other stories I've done, drop me a line at ladyfalcon@zworg.com, and we'll set something up. 


End file.
